The truth about a complex built for veterans and the middle class and how it has evolved through the years to become one of the more interesting and controversial of New York stories.

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Management has two priorities: 1) Making sure money is made, hence upgrading and filling up apartments is their goal. "Amenities" are important in selling the place, though few residents use them. 2) If someone needs medical attention, Public Safety will be there, if alerted.

Quality of life issues are not that important, however. Things like the carpet rule or outsider dogs. These "rules" tend to be ignored, on purpose it seems. So you will see a lot that isn't taken care of properly, and complaints will be met with a creative excuse and a smile.

"Peace and quiet" must be a cruel joke, though this property is sold that way. There can be no peace and quiet as ALL apartments must be upgraded, which includes the installation of an AC unit below the window. Aside from the continual construction about the neighborhood, there is a new and noisy subway extension being built along East 14 st and the shut down of the L line. "Choosing" to live in NYC, now the newest mantra, is a fabrication when the talk is of ST and PCV, which was traditionally quiet, with no construction noise.

Though money was always important, it is now more important than ever. Money rules many things, as you will find.

At this point, 30 years into living here and seeing many things, I can state that Management and their reps are BS-ing us. I can't say that loudly enough: We are being BS-ed. I don't see any genuine change, though the "selling" of this place is intense. Few of the "rules" will be enforced, as Management doesn't want to lose customers or potential customers. Where personal integrity is a hallmark of an excellent management style, this integrity is not seen in enforcing some of the rules.

About those "club cars" we see going this way and that way, and outside of Stuy Town or Peter Cooper Village:

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

De Blasio and Other Politicians Meet at Garodnick's PCV Apartment

This could be very significant. I do note, however, the line which states: "...keep rents low on some of the apartments..." [Italics mine.] My impression from reading the article is that MR-paying tenants are going to be out of the loop on any plan for maintaining affordable housing in ST/PCV. As for the apartments that are still affordable, let's hope all of them are secured for the future as affordable.

These meeting make no sense as the 6,000 tenants who they are talking about protecting, have iron clad leases and are already protected under the rent stabilization laws. That was proven when T.S purchased the property. They are either leaving the other 5,000 tenants out in the cold intentionally or the talks are really about the city helping the TA to purchase STPCV and turn it into a non eviction Co-Op.

Mayor DeBlasio coming over to StuyTown is a big step forward, and is a very positive development, but lets not pretend he can undo the damage to rent stabilization that was done by the likes of Anthony Weiner when he was on the City Council and voted for vacancy decontrol in the early 90s. Now all landlords can jack rents up every time an apartment turns over. It is exactly what CW Crapital is doing with the NYU apartments. It is their entire business model until they find a buyer or convert it themselves.

The best thing DeBasio can do right now is to stop NYU and CW Crapital from abusing the system, putting up illegal partitions and overcrowding places like StuyTown with transients who just ruin thje quality of life while pushing rents even hjighjer through hrapid turnover.

Does anyone believe that the Mayor's office or Councilman Garodnick, while well intentioned, can accomplish anything constructive that keeps affordable housing in STPCV, by meeting with a few tenants who do not have any practical knowledge about real estate or rent stabilization, or ownership housing?

By these same few tenants who do not represent the majority of the tenants at STPCV?

Does the Mayor's Office even realize that the tenants who attended the meeting in Council Garodnick's apartment, do not represent more than a few hundred tenants in total and have no practical real estate knowledge?

Those same tenants have no practical experience in selecting adequate real estate representation.

Additionally, and even more important, those same tenants, have no in-depth understanding of how Rent Stabilization can be used to successfully interact with a plan for Affordable Housing?

Does anyone believe that the failure of the Roberts Litigation with all the facts on the plaintiff's side, assures anyone that the STPCV Tenants Association or Councilman Garodnick, who was so quick to "brag" about his participation in the settlement of Roberts, can be relied on to find an equitable and pragmatic solution to maintaining Affordable Housing in the community?

I think some people here are deluding themselves. What have we ever seen from city involvement in real estate in the last 40 years? If anything, there has been an erosion of tenant protection. Leave it to the politicians and they will do what's best for them and what SEEMS as if it's good for us...until we start living with the details. No. Without us demonstrating, rallying and making trouble, we have no real seat at the table. I keep looking to this blog for some sign of action. So far...nothing.

Just got home and this shit is blasting through my widow. This dump is now run by rubes/hicks for rubes/hicks.

"Wednesday, July 16, 2014 5-9pm A great double-feature every Wednesday from June 25th through August 13th*, under the sun and stars! Enjoy a kid-friendly movie starting at 5pm, followed by a grown-up movie starting at 7pm. Here's the 2014 lineup: •7/16: 5pm - The Croods; 7pm - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

All in, we've paid almost 450k over the course of 9 years. Our friends about 150k. So who needs protecting?

July 16, 2014 at 11:50 AM"

So let me understand this, you CHOSE to piss away $450,000 instead of buying an apartment, and somehow you begrudge the original RS tenants who at one time made up the exclusive tenancy here ?? How about this scenario, if it wasn't for fools willing to pay $450K to live in a non-doorman building with one bathroom, the whole complex would still be RS, you could put your name on the waiting list like everyone else, and after about 10 years, you too could have a cheap apartment. A little perspective, shall we ?

It appears that the mayor is shooting for something like we had in the old days. True, he's talking about protecting those who are already protected, but the units aren't protected once the occupant dies or moves out. It looks like he wants to insure they stay real R/S. I suppose that would entail once again going back to the waiting lists we used to have. What else could he be talking about? I also agree that the market raters are left out of the whole equation.

the market raters are always left out. The best and most laughable is the RS needs no protecting - quite the opposite. Those who are here and paying twice as much as others for same if not worse service are dumbass out of luck.

Who thinks the Mayor can support a plan that removes ANY apartments from stabilization? The rents on the MR apartments may not be affordable but they are 'stabilized'. It's the intent of the mayor to add units to the stabilization total; not decrease it. So any plan that requires the mayor's support will not include a condo conversion.

The TA, who begged the MR's to support the TA agenda, have now left them in the dust.

It's time for the MR's to think for themselves and get their own horse to back. Honestly, I think I'd take Fortress over the TA (at least they screw me with the lights on).

Anamymous said....Mr. Gutterman, the few tenants who you refer to, who were at the meeting, certainly know enough about rent stabilization. They may know shit about ownership, but they know about stabilization.

July 16, 2014 at 4:02 PM

With all due respect, the tenant's knowledge that I have seen so far, is limited to the tenant side of Stabilization and the individual tenant's immediate needs.

There appears to be little or no indepth knowledge about how to combine the Stabilization laws with the Tenant Protection Act, to effectuate the "massive" change needed at STPCV.

July 16, 2014 at 9:37 AM - Nobody is leaving the other 5,000 tenants out in the cold intentionally. What else can be done for those 5,000 tenants other than the prospect of ownership? Do you actually think Albany is about to undo what's already been done?

"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' Sounds a lot like what we are going through here today! Soo long good old days! sad.........

Senator Schumer and Mayor de Blasio came through for us big time and need to hear alternatives to Garodnick-TA-Brookfield.

Please post a tenant pledge authorizing you to represent us in negotiations with CWC. We are 20-year, dues-paying TA members wanting to revoke our executed pledge currently on file with the TA, which is no longer acting in the best interests of tenants and should not represent us during this most crucial period.

Also, please post an update of your tenant friendly co-op proposal offering the lowest possible purchase prices that will maximize affordability for the highest percentage of current residents aspiring to ownership, combined with a permanent affordable set aside scheme protecting all current residents electing to remain renters.

The proposal provides immediate stability and long term affordability benefitting 100% of current residents planning long term residency. Appropriate resale caps can maintain long term affordability for future residents. Excluding ineligible transients living dormitory style will quickly transform ST-PCV back into a 100% residential community.

Garodnick and TA political juice brought Senator Schumer and Mayor de Blasio to our side. Schumer came through big time, giving us much, much more than just a seat at the table. In fact, we may be sitting in the only seat. If not, we have the best seat. Mayor de Blasio is working hard for us, looking for ways to preserve affordability for as many residents as possible. Out of a deep sense of foreboding, we feel Garodnick and the TA will squander this defining, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity away by seizing it for themselves.

Apparently they still cling to a possibly slightly modified, but still disgraceful TA/Brookfield “partnership” that stabs tenants in the back with a condo plan affordable only to the highest earning, highest rent paying residents forced to purchase or vacate if they want their kids to attend college. Everyone else should be happy keeping eroding, dying RS. Garodnick and the TA did not give us RS and -- most particularly right now -- we don’t need them to pretend they are fighting to keep it.

Hopefully Schumer and De Blasio will demand answers to questions Garodnick and the TA dodged for years: - Vulture Ackerman verbalized a more tenant friendly plan than your condo scam, why are you giving away every possible financial windfall to Brookfield without getting anything that remotely resembles long term affordability for your member/constituents? WTF?

Who thinks the Mayor can support a plan that removes ANY apartments from stabilization?

I can. The article says: "a rollback for tenants in ST/PCV’s other, renovated units isn’t a part of that plan." You know why it's not part of the plan? It isn't part of the plan because Republicans in the State Senate in Albany will never EVER allow that to happen. If a rent rollback's what you're sticking around for, your head's in the clouds. Right now, the only viable alternative for tenants in renovated units is ownership. So the starting point of your analysis is 180 degrees wrong. Not to mention that de Blasio will not screw Garodnick on this.

I would like to hear how you plan to buy STPCV for BILLIONS OF DOLLARS - because that's what it's going to take - and then sell apartments to tenants at an AFFORDABLE price, meaning NOT for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Please. By all means. Do tell. Everyone reading this blog would like to know.

I like following the conversation here and I do hope to see some tenant action emerge, but as things stand, I see this all as a colossal mess. In spite of community concerns here, the heart of our situation is a business deal, and none of the stakeholders is willing to accept less than what they think they can get. So from CW's perspective and the perspective of primary or mezzanine debt holders, they'd only make a deal with the city if that deal would render them more money than any other deal. So what the city has to offer isn't likely to be appealing to a group of swarming sharks (CW & co) or to big losing gamblers (the debt holders) who are hoping to more than break even. Meanwhile, we ourselves are a divided community. Some believe in Garodnick and the TA. Many do not. Some believe in RS and RS only. Others would like to buy. The interests of long-timers and MRs don't seem to be coinciding, and student rentals just keep chugging a long. Since no tenant action or any other action seems forthcoming, it seems there's nothing to do but to vent some more and wait for the next shoe drop in the 2nd week of August.

Here is something that I am sure will catch a lot of you by surprise. I know someone who lived in PCV most of her life and is now going to be moving back to ST in September. When dealing with the Leasing Office, they told her that if she wanted to rent in PCV (only PCV), that she would have the option of adding a balcony to her apartment in the very near future at a cost of around $40k. Wonder where this is going?!?!?

A balcony? I don't find this credible, unless they want to rebuild PCV. And if it's true, it's a crazy idea because then you'd have a real visual mess with a balcony here and there, but no standard look.

4:31 that is why the NYU CW scheme to illegally remove apartments from Rent Stabilization is of vital importance to us Market Rate tenants. The only option for MR is to hold accountable NYU and CW for this fraud against tenants and against the City (depending on how many pols - and how deeply the City was involved in the scheme). A fair priced purchase will not be an option for MarketRate tenants with the state of the property, the liabilities leftover from the Tishman deal with the contaminated soil and the upcoming Big U project and the inflated income numbers. The only option for us MarketRate is to unify and take action against the NYU scheme to get the property income corrected for a proper purchase price. buying a condo at these numbers is a losing proposition. But the MR tenants aren't capable of unifying and I fear our numbers are smaller than the Tenant Association claims since most of the MarketRate apartments are NYU leased.

>>Right now, the only viable alternative for tenants in renovated units is ownership.<<

True, but then we codify those apartments as being removed from RS protections. For long-time tenants in non-renovated apartments, ownership is not a solution, unless they are rich. I think the game plan from De Blasio will be to prop up the unrenovated apartments with long term tax breaks for the landlord. MR tenants may receive the ability to purchase their apartments, but I wonder how complex and fragmentary such a situation would be.

Can the exterior brick walls with band aid repointing and questionable mortar durability even withstand the stress and uneven weight of randomly placed balconies? Plus the design of the corners on these buildings would have balconies butting up against our neighbors windows. Unless you are in an exterior PC apartment like those overlooking the river balconies are assinine in concept and safety which makes them along the same lines as the thinking by ALL those who also commercialized the Oval and brought in students to mix with young families. hmmmmm....a thought drunk students on balconies living next to young families with sleeping babies. Sure lets bring more noise outside to our once peaceful community. Another scheme to ruin quality of life.

The best option for market rate tenants is an action against NYU for illegally deregulating to increase the purchase price of market rate apartments and then to attain those re-regulated apartments as part of the deal when it settles. Then let the market rate apartments be the problem of the new owner and not of the tenants.

"Here is something that I am sure will catch a lot of you by surprise. I know someone who lived in PCV most of her life and is now going to be moving back to ST in September. When dealing with the Leasing Office, they told her that if she wanted to rent in PCV (only PCV), that she would have the option of adding a balcony to her apartment in the very near future at a cost of around $40k. Wonder where this is going?!?!?"

Absolutely nowhere....I've heard absurd, but this is hilarious. You should try to make yourself at least somewhat believable.

8:11...Mr Guterman already submitted his plan to the community about 18 months ago. The plan shoots for 80% tenant participation based on square footage prices that would resolve into mortgage-maintenance payments approximating what people are paying now. While I note self-interest in everything, Mr Guterman is one of the very few taking the risk of addressing the community without anonymity. I hope the only comments addressed toward him allowed to come through are personally respectful.

I just can't see any unity among us unless there is recognition on all sides that for the MRs there is no affordable solution other than ownership. Unless long-timers can support this, there will be no unity. As to long timers being able to buy, it all depends on the price. If the original Guterman plan were to prevail, it's likely many long timers could afford to buy. But in any event, the long timers have RS in place so not supporting MR ownership would be like a dog in the manger. What realistically good reason not to support?

Exactly. Most long term tenants in unrenovated apts would opt to continue renting in the event of a conversion because that makes the most economic sense. Likewise it would make more economic sense for newer tenants in renovated units to buy. Yes it will be complex, but the tenants association has to take into account the ridiculously fucked up rent disparities in STPCV going forward. And I have yet to see anyone come forward with a viable plan that addresses this other than the TA and Garodnick.

If the tenants do not buy STPCV then someone else will, and that someone else could be anyone with the money, even the Chinese Government, who could afford to pay cash and not deal with Fannie and Freddie. Who ever buys would be looking to build a huge glass and metal building on the Oval and either market the new building as luxury rentals or a hotel. Then slowly vacate STPCV buildings and demolish them and rebuild. That is why we should have the property landmarked, not only will that save our open spaces and buildings but it will also lower the price of the complex and make it more affordable for tenants to buy there homes. It is a win-win for tenants.

The mayor wants to maintain as much "affordable" housing as he can. He has an agenda. That's what he wants his legacy to be. A condo conversion doesn't fit in with that plan even though that's the only way to ensure affordability. Keeping the current block of real R/S apts really R/S simply guarantees unaffordability in the not to distant future due to phony mci's and RGB increases. I don't agree with STR that those laws will be changed if we fight them. I also don't necessarily agree that one would have to be rich to buy their apartment in the event of a conversion. For the purposes of full disclosure I'm a real R/S resident. I support conversion.

>>The article says: "a rollback for tenants in ST/PCV’s other, renovated units isn’t a part of that plan." You know why it's not part of the plan? It isn't part of the plan because Republicans in the State Senate in Albany will never EVER allow that to happen. <<

Okay, fine, but what about some other option that would help MR tenants? The *legal* rent on our apartment is way beyond what my husband and I can afford. But if we could be assured that our rent would stay at or near the current preferential rent, we might be able to stay in Stuy Town. A rollback would be great, but it's not the only conceivable option that would preserve some degree of affordability of the MR apartments.

I just don't get why de Blasio seems to have just written off the MR tenants.

I also don't find the balcony thing credible. (Not that the poster is making things up, but maybe his or her source is not to be believed.) It's still a rental, and what renter in their right mind would spend $40,000 to add anything to their apartment that they couldn't take with them if they ever moved out? Because you sure couldn't take a balcony with you!

Now Oval Concierge is doing away with the morning shuttle which use to make it easier for us to get to work in the mornings. Last day of operation, July 31, 2014. I bet management is thinking of other ways to make our life miserable.

"then we codify those apartments as being removed from RS protections."

Since Pataki, RS is dying a slow death and constantly under threat of a quick death. Mayor de Blasio cannot save it without Albany, where they can't kill it soon enough.

We should acknowledge RS no longer means "affordable" at ST-PCV. For several thousand residents RS only means the landlord cannot refuse lease renewal. These residents can be "priced out" anytime via huge, legal rent hikes. They are forced to buy into Brookfield's condo ripoff.

Longer term RS residents have targets painted on their backs. Mayor Bloomberg and Jerry Speyer said RS residents had nothing to worry about. They were lying to us. Now Garodnick-TA-Brookfield say the same thing. Why should we believe them?

For 3 years Garodnick-TA-Brookfield spoke using broad, sweeping language about their plan to preserve ST-PCV affordability. We were subjected to a slick, happy talk, low information marketing campaign telling us we had options and choices. Basic questions were never answered. We are kept ignorant in the dark.

Now we know what they will do for residents unable to afford a Brookfield condo - NOTHING. We get to keep the broken RS umbrella. Marsh sends out a ridiculous, fear mongering letter about how the TA is fighting to protect us against bogeyman developers planning a ST-PCV demolition. We should be afraid, very afraid.

Garodnick-TA-Brookfield = Divide and Conquor

There are several "permanent affordable" programs operating in NYC. We need to find something better than dying RS.

I support conversion even though I don't rally 'have ' to. I'm good. But sick of being lied to, bullied, inspected, left with filth dirt and students.. Nothing could be worse than it is now. I'll take out a large loan if I hav to just to be rid of the greedy assholes who literally steal from us here and then try to throw us out , along with our friends.

You have to grasp that the state legislature, specifically the Republicans in the State Senate, is responsible for the the situation that you are in. That situation is that the landlord can decide for any or no reason to renew your lease at the legal rent upon renewal and there is no state law on the books to stop that. Don't expect that to change any time soon, if ever, thanks to those same Republicans in the state Senate.

MRers with sky high legal rents who are mad at de Blasio, Garodnick, the TA, etc need to understand this. The landlord lobby in Albany and their Republicans puppets in the state senate will see to it that there is nothing on the rental front that can be done to help you. Meaning that your the only solution appears to be an offer of ownership to those in your situation. A change may be coming in Albany, but it's still to be seen if it's enough to stanch the further loss of affordable housing in NYC further. Reversing what's already been done is a legislative impossibility. Unless people in your situation across the city suddenly started getting mad at the right people and raising enough of a ruckus. That seems equally unlikely.

I don't know where you've been, but tenants groups across the city acknowledged the end of rent regulation once vacancy decontrol was forced into law by Pataki and Republicans in the State Senate in 1997 and tenants groups have been fighting a losing battle to undo it ever since. Is there no way to get this through your skull that there is nothing that the TA or Dan Garodnick can do to undo what vacancy decontrol has done to ST-PCV? All they can do is make the best out of the crappy hand the state has dealt them.

I've come to rely on Town & Village to give fabricated spin instead of the truth when it comes to Stuy Town. They did not disappoint in their article on the management office this week. Took a look yesterday. A few big things contrary to T&V reports made it clear T&V never saw the site but instead printed a press release complete with statements from the same ole usual suspects.

Facts1. Management did not have permission for 6:00 AM construction. The After Hours Work Permit gave extended hours in the evenings, not the mornings. Work was not permitted to occur before 7:00 AM.

2. Work has not begin on Playground 8. It is a disorderly dump of construction supplies and debris and trash with a sectioned off deep hole covered by thin wooden planks.

3. The trees on the South Side walk in the photo are no longer there. They were recently cut down and only their large healthy stumps remain.

Neighbors report party went all night, plenty of Bud Lights! Woo Hoo, when they broke out the hard stuff, Billy Dee Blasio whispered into Danny boys ear " how do you live with only one bathroom" Then the party broke so the boys could check out the bikini coeds down by the oval.

NONE of the old timers I know are interested in buying, even though many do have a lot of money saved. Some are already moving to nursing homes, others to Florida, they just want to live in peace and don't care about this whole real estate fight, they are just focussed on their own health and families.

The money they have they want to leave to their children, not hand over to a real estate developer in a condo deal. Any condo conversion will have to be with the minimum of inside buyers and a ton of non-evicted renters, not a great business model especially at a $-5 billion price tag.

And this is why the key to the whole plan is the NYU student apartments, they will all go to outsiders at a much higher price. The illegal scheme to turn apartments over and get higher market rate rents will also help the owner once a condo conversion happens. DeBlasio needs to address the illegal student apartment scheme and force CW to play by the rules.

The issue with the NYU scheme isn't about whether you like students living next door to you or not, its about how CW is gaming the system both short-term on the NYU rentals and longer term on the condo conversion. No matter what happens, by gaming the system they win. The only question is how much more money we will let them take off the table. Heads they win, tails we lose.

8:38 exactly. Also, even though there is a revolving door of students in 11 month leases churning the apartments the constant tenant on the lease w/o turnover is NYU who is subsidizing the dorm apartments and who illegally deregulated the RS apartment from the onset. Technically they are not vacancies after the student moves out and they never qualified for the deregulated rent in the first place.

To Gerald Guterman:I would like to hear how you plan to buy STPCV for BILLIONS OF DOLLARS....

@ Gerald Guterman... Please post a tenant pledge authorizing you to represent us in negotiations with CWC. July 17, 2014 ______________________________

To the residents at STPCV:

It is painfully obvious, that the only way to achieve any sort of economic stability for the community or its residents, is to use the enormous, insurmountable, economic and political power of the 11,232 families currently living in the community. There is no private owner, mortgage lender or manager in New York, that can withstand the full force of a monetary, legal and political attack by the organized and combined economic might of the STPCV community.

I have stated before, that the changes necessary to bring about stability in the community as well as economic protection for it residents, will only happen when you, the residents, properly organize yourselves into one laser focused force and use that force, with very experienced legal representation who has a long history of landlord tenant success.

Additionally, there are several other large communities in New York, that are undergoing similar, if not identical problems with the same management company.

I would suggest that combining the power of these very large residential communities into a single negotiating force, will help to draw and maintain the attention of these insufferable, egotistical and know-it-all managers, who believe that enjoying a reasonable "quality of life", is restricted only to them and their families. These same managers, believe that their only responsible to STPCV, its residents and the resident's quality of life, is when a court rules that it is their responsible.

I have written before, that with strong enough economic force and laser focused litigation, this community can be stabilized and the quality of life made better for all of the residents.

The following matters must be concluded:

• The Roberts litigation must be re-settled,• Prior MCI increases must be re-settled, with further increases moderated,• conversion of STPCV apartments to dormitory housing must be immediately stopped and reversed,• The Oval must be restored,• all open spaces in the communities must be kept permanently open, without construction of any type or manner. • Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper village must be combined into one distinct community,• the STPCV community must be converted to "ownership" housing, with the purchase price to tenants in occupancy, not more than 60% of the market price for the same or similar apartments,• Financing for all tenants in possession who purchase, loans must be pre-approved for 85% to 95% of the purchase price, • All tenants who purchase their apartments, must be free to resell those apartments at the market price, beginning the earlier of one year after the sponsor has sold all the apartments or forty-eight months from the date of conversion,• A capital reserve fund in the amount of: the lesser of 1% of the gross sales price of the residential units or $50million must be established for the community's use after conversion,• A pre-arranged contract to sell the "un-sold" apartments to a non-profit organization with an agreement that specifies that said apartments will remain as rent stabilized, rental apartments for approximately twenty years must be accomplished.

I don't know where you've been, but tenants groups across the city acknowledged the end of rent regulation once vacancy decontrol was forced into law by Pataki and Republicans in the State Senate in 1997 and tenants groups have been fighting a losing battle to undo it ever since. Is there no way to get this through your skull that there is nothing that the TA or Dan Garodnick can do to undo what vacancy decontrol has done to ST-PCV? All they can do is make the best out of the crappy hand the state has dealt them."---You saw a sentence you didn't like - "We should acknowledge RS no longer means "affordable" at ST-PCV." - which is 100% accurate. Then completely disregard my 1st sentence - "Since Pataki, RS is dying a slow death and constantly under threat of a quick death. Mayor de Blasio cannot save it without Albany, where they can't kill it soon enough." - and paraphrase it to attack my unrelated criticism of TA and Garodnick forming a "partnership" with Brookfield that basically hands ST-PCV over to Brookfield to manage and exploit for 20 years.

I praise the TA for leading the fight to defend RS for decades. I praise Garodnick too, for doing the same while he's been in elected government. I expect that from them. I continue to expect that from them well into the future.

Garodnick and the TA made their phone calls. Senator Schumer and Mayor de Blasio came through for ST-PCV tenants. They gave us a prime seat at the table. Our partners are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and City Hall.

Why did Garodnick and the TA give Brookfield a seat? Why are they proposing a condo conversion affordable only to the highest earning, highest rent paying residents that leaves the rest of us covered by dying RS?

- ST-PCV will not be demolished.- ST-PCV will be unified.- Commercial development will end.- Students & Transients will be gone.- Pet regulations will be enforced.

Brookfield isn't the only prospective "partner" or managing agent able to achieve these goals. Why are they being forced on tenants?

I attended the big meeting related to the selection of Brookfield and heard not one objection from the 1000+ crowd. That's the time frame when objections should have been raised about process, selection, whatever. It's a little late in the game for that now. Actually, the only fight from that time that I'm aware of was started by people who objected to a co-op conversion, who favored condo instead. There may have been grumblings about Brookfield, but I recall no brawls over Brookfield like the condo vs co-op brawl.

However, I would like to know actual details of the plan. Or at least get a reasonable explanation about why those details aren't forthcoming at this time.

Until There Is Silence No More

The Tenants Association and our councilman Dan Garodnick have mysteriously remained silent about a purported incident that occurred on July 12: the mugging by a group of individuals of someone right by Peter Cooper Village, along 20th Street.

The TA is basically done. Tenants can complain, but any action is negligible. The TA is effectively dead.

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"We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

"If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property."

Rick Hayduk, CEO and General Manager of PCVST. Letter to Barry Shapiro, February 2016.

STR here: I have been around since the inception of this dog policy and I have NEVER seen anyone escorted out of ST or PCV with their non-lanyard dog. But I have seen, many times, a dog owner from outside, and his/her dog, casually walking through ST or PCV.

THINKING of Renting in PCVST?

Read Yelp reviews to find out what it's like living here. Please note: All apartments are currently "rent-stabilized" but that doesn't prevent apartments from going up to 4K to 6K a month and even higher. How does this happen? Ask our politicians! Fact: Now less than half of the complex's apartments have the old rents and it's getting worse year by year--or better if you are the Real Estate Board of New York!

The Other Yelp Reviews

Yelp can be tricky and bounce reviews for a variety of reasons, like being a member and posting just one review. Very often, however, these reviews hold important truths about what's being reviewed. READ THESE TOO.

BICYCLES, MOPEDS, SCOOTERS, ETC.

Of course, "private property" but "public access" - whatever that means! And if a part of it is public access, do the rules of the city apply to our roads and sidewalks? Or does anything give because this complex is "private property"? Who comes here in case of a fire in one of our buildings? The Stuy Town Fire Brigade?

Hint: Look both ways if you are in the complex. Look on the ground, too!

61.03 Control of dogs and other animals to prevent nuisance. (a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway, sidewalk, lawn, garden or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall [or], stairway or entranceway of a building abutting on a public place

Banned & Oversize Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Looks like there is some difficulty in enforcing the ban on certain dog breeds allowed inside Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village. Somehow pitbulls and pitbull mixes have been registered in STPCV and are allowed to be freely walked about the grounds! Registered dogs in the complex are max 50 pounds. Total, if there is more than one! More than two, it's illegal. It's going to get worse, and, face it, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village will never be like it once was.

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Read it and Weep

Current Value of ST/PCV

Was 5.4 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer bought the place.Became 1.7 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer left, with their tail between their legs. Of course, tenants now have to make up the loss.

Ex-landlord

Rob Speyer

1947 Stuy Town Plaque Honoring Met Life Chairman F.H. Ecker (Removed in 2002 and never seen again)

"... who with the vision of experience and the energy of youth conceived and brought into being this project, and others like it, that families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service."

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management, but earthy. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best gym: Don't waste your money on the Oval Fitness Gym. Instead go to the earthy but real Asser Levy Recreational Center, right above 23rd St on Asser Levy Place (near the FDR Drive). $75 for a year's membership; seniors are almost free. Contains seasonal indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ping-pong table, two pool tables. Called by some rich people who wouldn't get caught going there "the prison gym," and you know why.

A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's got a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down temporarily by the Health Department. Stuy Town's own cafe was closed, too! And not because of all the dogs that hover and piss outside.

Gracefully has two locations, but we prefer for its size the one on 1st Ave. Prices are high and reflect the new tenants that are currently renting Stuy Town and Peter Cooper apartments. ("Do you have a credit card?") We like Gracefully's lunch specials, which are somewhat affordable.

I priced the CVS on 1st Ave near 14st. The non-aerosol hairspray was 20 cents above CVS' own website price, and one of the highest in NY. (Yes, I have hair.) You can save at least a dollar or more buying at another place. So beware. Look around for a better deal on all your items.

I love warm Quaker Oats in the morning. Gristedes is not the place to get it, nor is Associated, though their price is less. Look around!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there.
Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!